Public bidding procedures

December 14, 2005

It is important that there be transparency when it comes to local governments. That is especially true when it comes to bidding for local services and projects. We were disheartened to see a disagreement betweeen two Niles city councilmen degenerate into name-calling over the bidding process for servicing police cars. It should never have gotten to that point. Dan Vaden Heede, the city's 2nd Ward councilman, accused fellow councilman Scott Clark, who represents the city's 4th Ward, of "violating the public trust" and using "personal favors, bullying and intimidation to further a personal agenda." At the center of the disagreement is Clark's exclusive contract to service city police cars. Clark, the owner of Clark's Service in Niles, has had the contract since 1998. That is too long for one provider to hold onto a city contract without have to go through the bidding process again. We understand that a municipality may want to save money by bidding a contract for multiple years. However, we believe the contract length should be no longer than three years. Some municipalities, such as South Bend, bid annually for such items as road salt and chemicals for municipally-owned golf courses. It is possible that rebidding the contract could have slipped through the cracks, but if that is the case there should have been better oversight of the contract terms. Clark himself could have brought it to the city's attention. We understand that the city of Niles is preparing to rebid the service contract near the start of the new year and we applaud that decision. Often times such problems are worked out behind closed doors out of earshot of the public. We commend the Niles City Council for bringing this issue to forefront in a public debate. Hopefully, the frank and open discussion will have led to a permanent solution for the city of Niles' bidding procedures.